The company announced on the conference call that Kevin Johnson, former CEO of Juniper Networks, would become president and chief operating officer on March 1. Earlier this month, Starbucks announced that its chief operating officer, Troy Alstead, planned to take an extended unpaid leave beginning March 1.

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Alstead said he planned to dedicate the next year to his family. Howard Schultz, the company's Chairman, President and CEO, said he looked forward to Alstead's return.

The quarter represented the company's 20th consecutive quarter of comp growth of 5 percent or higher. This edged above analysts' estimates of 4.7 percent, according to Consensus Metrix. Traffic also grew.

The company expects earnings of $3.09 to $3.13 per share. This midpoint is below what analysts had expected.